Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Help Center
If you have experienced a sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other gender-based or sexual violence on board a vessel, you can reach us at any time for help, regardless of your location or nationality.
If you are in immediate crisis, you can call the RAINN sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) for counseling.
For crisis support, you can reach us by filling out this form, or by emailing our help line directly at help@seasisters.org. A member of our organization will respond as soon as possible.
If you would like to volunteer to stand by on the help line, you can sign up here.
Survivor Stories
Whether you choose to report an assault or share your story is up to you. If you wish to publish your story, Sea Sisters offers our website as a platform to do so. You have the right to publicly or privately share your experience, and Sea Sisters will never share your information without your express and explicit permission, which may be revoked by you at any time. We are not a counseling service, but we offer resources to support you in reporting a sexual assault, as well as counseling, trauma therapy, and legal assistance for survivors.
You are not alone!
Resources
After An Assault
We encourage you to report an assault or harassment to your company Designated Person Ashore (DPA), and/or your company Human Resources (HR) Department. You may also report to the master of the vessel, if you feel safe doing so.
Click here to report an assault to the United States Coast Guard Via the CGIS
If you feel that you are in immediate danger, call emergency services (9-1-1 in the Americas; 1-1-2 in Europe and parts of Asia; other national emergency telephone numbers can be found here.
Make a written record of events using as much detail as possible, including dates, times, locations, and names of individuals involved. We know it may be very painful to re-live your trauma, but if you can manage it, recording details of the incident can help you in the event of an investigation, and can help you process what has happened.
If a ship’s hospital is available on board, seek an examination.
If the assault took place while ashore/on shore leave, contact local law enforcement to report the crime. Emergency numbers differ in parts of the world; click here for a comprehensive list of emergency telephone numbers around the world.
If your vessel is near a port, we encourage you to leave the vessel immediately (if possible) and seek a rape kit at a local hospital. You can dial 911 to report the assault and ask for transport to a local hospital. Transportation logistics may be complicated or difficult, but this is an emergency - talk to an emergency dispatcher and see how they can help.
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We know that being on a vessel at sea after an assault may leave you isolated and feeling a range of emotions, including fear, sadness, depression and shame. Remember: sexual violence against you is NEVER your fault.
Reporting
Report an Assault to the United States Coast Guard Via the CGIS
https://www.uscg.mil/Units/Coast-Guard-Investigative-Service/
Report to the FBI
https://www.usa.gov/report-crime
Contact Seafarer Help Line by ISWAN (International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network)
Chat available at https://www.seafarerhelp.org
Counseling and Therapy
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
The largest sexual assault network in the United States with a wealth of resources for survivors.
Chat: https://hotline.rainn.org/online
Safer Waves
Safer Waves is a registered nonprofit based in the United Kingdom. Their mission is to support merchant seafarers who have experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment or gender discrimination. They run a confidential email support service which is open to anyone regardless of nationality, and they share stories written by survivors of sexual violence.
https://saferwaves.org/after-sexual-assault-on-board/
https://saferwaves.org/contact-us/
Me Too Movement
An excellent source of support for survivors, including counseling for victims in immediate crisis.
https://metoomvmt.org/how-can-we-help-you/
https://metoomvmt.org/explore-healing/hotlines-chats/
David Queally, LMHC, LPC
Certified EMDR Therapist specializing in Trauma and PTSD
In person in West Hartford Ct. and online throughout Connecticut and Florida
Phone (386) 847-1089 (call or text)
david@forestrockcounseling.com
https://forestrockcounseling.com/
From David:
“I’m a Kings Point graduate and worked at Maersk for years, so most of my friends are in the Maritime industry and I want to help in the best way I can.
I am still offering pro-bono treatment for all members of the maritime community who need to work through trauma.”
Legal Assistance
Adam Deitz of Mariner Law, PLLC located in Tacoma, WA
Adam is a friend to the Sea Sisters community and is offering free consultations for survivors to assist them in considering legal options, and referring them to legal counsel as appropriate. His firm is based on the west coast of the United States but licensed to practice law in New York and Oregon as well.